Regain confidence with natural acne remedies

Long before people had access to a wide range of drugstore pills and potions, they were treating breakouts with a range of masks and tinctures made from natural ingredients. Here's how going back in time can land you great skin.

Zits are the bane of many an adolescent's existence. But those pesky eruptions don't just occur during puberty. About four in every five adults between the ages of 20 and 30 suffer mild to moderate acne and over half of all women, regardless of age, get pimples or blackheads.

The causes of acne vary, from hormonal changes that lead to elevated sebum production and plugged sebaceous glands, to sun exposure, medications and oil-based cosmetics.

Soap is too harsh for acne-prone skin, but soap-free cleansers with a pH of 5.5 (that matches the skin's acid-protection coating) can soothe and protect. Follow up by treating oily skin and acne-prone areas of your face with small amounts of facial toner containing alcohol.

Note: Always test any products or mask on the inside of your arm, overnight, to check for potential allergies.

Before going for store-bought treatments, try these remedies you can put together at home.

• Apply a healing mask. Mix together 45 millilitres (three tablespoons) of healing earth or fuller's earth (available at health food stores) with an equal amount of water to produce a thick paste. Leave plenty of space around your eyes when applying it. After 30 minutes, rinse off the mask thoroughly with warm water. Use three times a week.
• Mix together 30 millilitres (two tablespoons) of yogurt and 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) of honey and spread on your face and neck. The yogurt has a cooling effect and honey disinfects. Rinse with warm water after 30 minutes. Apply three times a week.
• Dilute tea tree oil or a pot marigold (calendula) tincture with water in a one to four proportion. Apply with a cotton swab to quickly heal pimples and blackheads.
• Squeeze fresh plantain leaves (the herb, not the banana) with a juice extractor or crush with a pestle, then dab the juice directly onto blackheads and pimples with a cotton swab.
• Drink about 250 to 500 millilitres (one to two cups) of stinging nettle tea (available at health food stores) every day. It detoxifies blood and promotes skin healing.
• Give yourself a chamomile facial twice a week to open your pores. Just pour boiling water over chamomile flowers and position your face over the steam for five minutes.